There’s a sadness in me
today.
At one point in history,
a single man and 12 or so followers radically changed the face of the earth.
Today, millions of people
who claim to be followers of this man, to believe what he believed, to have the
same mission he had, and to possess the same power he had, are hard pressed to
make a dent in any of the significant problems in the world.
How can that be?
Are we not really
followers? Do we not truly believe what
he believed? Have we misunderstood what
his mission really was? Do we really possess
the same power that he possessed?
People were attracted to
Jesus. And yes, some people were
offended by Jesus.
In Matthew 5, Jesus is
teaching and says…
“blessed are
the poor in spirit…”
“blessed are those
who mourn…”
“blessed are the
meek…”
“blessed are those
who hunger and thirst after righteousness..”
“blessed are the
merciful…”
“blessed are the
pure in heart…”
“blessed are the
peacemakers…”
“blessed are you
when people insult you because of me…”
Can you picture those
kinds of people? They were the people
who flocked to Jesus when he entered a town and began teaching and
ministering. Yes, even some of them
would eventually turn their backs on him, but they were the ones to whom Jesus’
words were a healing balm, a hope.
But the religious leaders
of Jesus’ day, the scribes and Pharisees, they didn’t care so much for
Jesus. And I’m reminded that these were
the people who were in the lofty positions in terms of faith. They were the ones with the training and
knowledge. They were the ones who knew
the law of God inside and out.
But they were also the
ones to whom Jesus said (in Matthew 23)…
“Woe to you
scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites!”
“Woe to you blind
guides…”
“For you are like
whitewashed tombs…full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanliness.”
And I think of these
things not to point fingers at anyone in particular. I think of these things to remind myself how
easily we as human beings can begin getting it wrong. I think of these things to remind myself that
when we apply too much human “common sense” and “logic” to the ways of God, we
can easily create something that is not at all what God intended, and that can
ultimately lead people away from God, rather than towards God.
I think about the
Israelites after the exodus from Egypt.
After centuries in slavery to the Egyptians, God had miraculously set
them free. But He didn’t just set them
free from slavery to the Egyptians. God
promised them a land, a good land, flowing with milk and honey. All they had to do was go and possess the
land that He had promised to deliver into their hands.
Scouts were sent out to
explore the land and to bring back some of its fruit. When they returned, they reported that indeed
the land was prosperous, but…
To their human eyes, and
by their human reasoning, the current occupants of the land were too strong,
too powerful, too well fortified. In
their mind, these weak, unarmed former slaves could never overtake such
formidable opponents.
The people, hearing these
reports, broke into a panic. They
weeped, they wailed, they grumbled against Moses. They insisted on returning to Egypt, to
slavery, rather than die trying to take this promised land.
Their human eyes, their
human reasoning, their human logic saw only destruction. And truly, there was no way that these
Israelite slaves, in their own power, could have ever defeated the trained
armies of these lands.
But it was never THEIR
strength that was going to claim these lands.
It was never THEIR battle
strategy that was going to lay waste to trained, experienced armies.
It was never anything
that THEY were going to do, or any power or skill THEY possessed that was going
to put these lands in their hands.
Sometimes, as believers,
we get caught in the trap of evaluating God’s call in our lives based upon what
we see, what we know, what we can reason.
How many times have I dismissed a burden for ministry that God laid on
my heart because I saw no way that it could ever happen?
Not enough money!
Not enough people!
Not enough interest!
Not enough time!
Too much opposition!
I should be face down on
the ground thanking God that he hasn’t caused me to shrivel up and die like the
10 Israelite scouts who used their eyes and their minds to decide that what God
said was going to happen, couldn’t happen.
What is impossible with
man, is possible with God.
The fact is, scripture is
replete with evidence that God’s ways run almost completely counter to the
general wisdom of man. We even plaster
scripture over coffee mugs, tshirts, and bumper stickers that says
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways.” (Isaiah
55:8)
Jesus’ teaching during
him ministry on earth was filled with specific examples of how God’s ways are
not our ways.
“Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to
you, do not demand it back.” (Luke 6:30)
“…whoever wishes to become great among you shall become your servant,
and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.” (Mark 10:43,44)
“You have heard that it was said ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a
tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist
an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him
also.” (Matt 5:39)
“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without
expecting to get anything back.” (Luke
6:35)
Over all these specific
teachings of Jesus, we cannot forget that when asked what the greatest
commandment was, Jesus replied with…love.
Love for our God first, and love for our neighbor next. And it is by this love that he said “all men
will know you are my disciples.”
So what are we doing?
Where is this Jesus-like
lifestyle that flies in the face of conventional wisdom, and that will show to
all the world that we really do follow him, that we really do believe what he
believed, that we really have taken on his mission and really do walk in his
same power?
Is our hope and trust
truly in God? Or are we trusting instead
in the ways of man, the ways of government, the ways of the court system? Do we believe God is truly in control, or are
we doing everything we can instead to use the ways of man to accomplish the
work that God has already promised to do…through us?
In Judges 6 begins the
story of Gideon. As the chapter unfolds,
the Israelites have once again abandoned God and as a result have been handed
over to the Midianites. But God, in His
mercy, once again plans to restore his people, and he chooses Gideon to be the
instrument of His redemption.
Now Gideon is no fool. When God tells him to go and save Israel out
of Midian’s hands, Gideon questions God’s choice, reminding Him that Gideon is
from the weakest tribe and that he, Gideon, is the least of that tribe. Gideon is seeing with his eyes and thinking
with his mind.
God’s response is, “I
will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none
alive.”
Eventually, after several
confirmations from God, Gideon amasses his troops to attack the Midianites. But when God sees the 32,000 men Gideon has
gathered, He tells Gideon to let those among the soldiers who are afraid to
leave, and ten thousand do so. Gideon is
down to 22,000 men.
But this is still too
many for God. So God sends Gideon and
his men to the water and tells them to drink.
Gideon is to separate his men by how they drink the water – lapping at
it like a dog, or kneeling to drink.
Three hundred of his men quench their thirst in the canine way, the rest
by kneeling to drink. You just know that
Gideon figures the 300 dog lappers are the ones heading home.
But God says, keep the
300, send the others home.
Can you imagine what’s
running through Gideon’s mind at this point?
The least member of the least tribe of Israel is called by God to attack
a formidable opponent who has had their way with the Israelite people for seven
years. And now God expects him to
accomplish this task with only 300 men?
But it was never God’s
intent that this battle would be won through Gideon’s strength or wisdom, or by
the abilities of the Israelite soldiers.
God was going to win this
battle. God was going to provide the
victory. God was going to accomplish His
plan.
And He did. To His glory.
Which is always the point anyway.
God is glorified when
things happen that cannot or should not happen.
God is glorified when
people realize that what just happened couldn’t have been done by you or me.
Jesus and the disciples
did not use the courts or the government accomplish the mission of spreading
the gospel to the world. They did not
rely on their own strengths, talents, or abilities to successfully teach people
about the gospel.
They trusted God. They submitted themselves to God. They sought out His perfect will and allowed
the Holy Spirit to guide them and empower them.
They obeyed the call, even
when it made no sense, even when there seemed to be no way it could happen.
This is the burden on my
heart. This is the conviction God seems
to be instilling in me. And I can’t help
but wonder how different our impact on the world for God and Jesus Christ would
be if we all would stop trying to figure out the best lawsuit, the best piece
of legislation, the best way to force people to accept what we know is true.
How easy and sad it is to
win a battle, but in the process lose the war.
